Earth-sheltered houses is one of the most popular topics on our Natural Building Blog. New readers may not be aware of my sustainable house plans that have been designed for earthbags, straw bales, cordwood and other materials. There are now around 130 plans, including numerous earth-sheltered designs. Most plans are only $200-$300 and include a scaled floorplan, two elevations, section or wall...

This is the third installment of my low cost desert shelters that have been designed with economic refugees in mind. These desert shelters were inspired by Phillip Garlington's website at Rancho Costa Nada. http://www.ranchocostanada.itgo.com/ His book Rancho Costa Nada: The Dirt Cheap Desert Homestead is available through Amazon and Smashwords. The subterranean Earthbag Desert Shelter is built...

This is the fourth installment about my low cost desert shelters that have been designed with economic refugees in mind. These desert shelters were inspired by Phillip Garlington's website at Rancho Costa Nada. The Hidey Hole shelter was also inspired by Ran Prieur's shelter. Ran Prieur is the author of Ran Prieur.com as well as numerous texts such as his free novel Apocalypsopolis and his essay...